''Sarah T. Bolton'' is a

public art Public art is art in any Media (arts), media whose form, function and meaning are created for the general public through a public process. It is a specific art genre with its own professional and critical discourse. Public art is visually and phy ...

work by

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

artist Emma Sangernebo (1877–1969).Indiana State Museum. ''Engraving honoring Sarah Tittle Bolton'', ID 99.2006.020.0063. 15 May 2006. Retrieved from Indiana State Museum Mimsy Database 4 December 2010. It is located on the second floor of the rotunda in the

Indiana State House The Indiana Statehouse is the List of state capitols in the United States, state capitol building of the U.S. state of Indiana. It houses the Indiana General Assembly, the office of the Governor of Indiana, the Indiana Supreme Court, and other st ...

Indianapolis Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Marion ...

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

, United States. It is a bronze sculptural

relief Relief is a sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces are bonded to a solid background of the same material. The term ''relief'' is from the Latin verb ''relevo'', to raise. To create a sculpture in relief is to give the impression that the ...

of Indiana poet Sarah Tittle Bolton, ''

née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...

'' Barrett (December 18, 1814 – August 4, 1893) and contains four lines from Bolton's poem "Indiana".

Description

''Sarah T. Bolton'' is a

cast Cast may refer to: Music * Cast (band), an English alternative rock band * Cast (Mexican band), a progressive Mexican rock band * The Cast, a Scottish musical duo: Mairi Campbell and Dave Francis * ''Cast'', a 2012 album by Trespassers William * ...

bronze Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals, such as phosphorus, or metalloids such ...

relief. The portrait of Bolton occupies the middle ground of the plaque and depicts Bolton in a ¾ view. In the upper left corner of the plaque are four lines from Bolton's "Indiana." Below the portrait is the plaque's dedication. Sangernebo's signature and the year 1941 are below the portrait to the right. The broad face is free of lines and wrinkles, and the features of her eyes, nose, and mouth are finely rendered. Her hair is parted in the center with a single pin-curl at her temple. A fringed cap rests half-way back on her head and is folded behind her ear. There is a cameo at her throat, and the collar is fringed. Her shawl and bodice are plain and without definition or folds. Under the right breast are Bolton's life dates, 1814–1893. At the top of the relief are four lines from Bolton's poem "Indiana:"

The Winds of heaven never fanned
The circling sunlight never spanned
The Borders of a better land
Than our own Indiana.

Below the portrait is the dedication:

In Honor of Sarah Tittle Bolton Indiana's
Pioneer Poet – in commemoration of
Her creative work this plaque is
Placed by the Indiana Branch –
National League – American Penwomen.

The plaque is tall, wide, and approximately deep. The ground of the relief is dull and has a pebbled surface. The face and letter fronts have a polished, shiny

patina Patina ( or ) is a thin layer that variously forms on the surface of copper, brass, bronze and similar metals and metal alloys (tarnish produced by oxidation or other chemical processes) or certain stones and wooden furniture (sheen produced b ...

. The relief is mounted to the wall with four socket cap

screw A screw and a bolt (see '' Differentiation between bolt and screw'' below) are similar types of fastener typically made of metal and characterized by a helical ridge, called a ''male thread'' (external thread). Screws and bolts are used to fa ...

s, one in each upper corner and one on each side approximately six inches from the bottom. The right side screw is missing. The

Indiana State Museum The Indiana State Museum is a museum located in downtown Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. The museum houses exhibits on the science, art, culture, and history of Indiana from prehistoric times to the present day. History The original collec ...

reported on 15 May 2006 that the sculpture's condition was excellent.

Historical information

Olive Inez Downing (c. 1888–1963) proposed that the Indiana Branch of th
League of American Pen Women
commission a sculpture honoring Sarah T. Bolton and arrange to install in the State House. Sarah T. Bolton was known as the "Pioneer Poet Laureate of Indiana." Her poems are published in ''Poems'' (1865), ''Life and Poems of Sarah Tittle Bolton'' (1880), and ''Songs of a Lifetime'' (1892). Her most well known poem i
“Paddle Your Own Canoe.”
Emma Sangernebo, née Elyes (1877–1969), was a well-known local artist trained at Herron Art School, Indianapolis. She was both a sculptor and painter. A member of the National League of American Pen Women, she was awarded the commission. Sangernebo based the sculpture on
photograph of Bolton
that appeared in Bolton's Life and Poems of Sarah Tittle Bolton (1880). She completed the sculpture in Chicago where it was also cast. The sculpture was installed on October 18, 1941 in the northeast niche on the second floor of the State House rotunda where it remains today. At the dedication ceremony, Bolton Mann, the great-great-grandson of Sarah T. Bolton, unveiled the relief sculpture. Walter Flandorf (1893–1949), husband of Vera Sangernebo (1902–2001), daughter of Emma and Alexander Sangernebo, put Bolton's "Paddle Your Own Canoe" to music.

References

External links

Additional images of Sarah T. Bolton relief

Bolton Biography at Beech Grove (Indiana) Public LibraryView more photos of this piece and other artwork found at the Indiana Statehouse
{{IndianaStateHousePublicArt Government buildings in Indiana Culture of Indianapolis North American sculpture Art in Indiana 1941 in the United States Indiana Statehouse Public Art Collection 1941 sculptures Bronze sculptures in Indiana Reliefs in the United States

Description

Historical information

See also

References

External links